Engine starter clutch



July 22, 1947. R. M. NARDONE 2,424,494

ENGINE STARTER CLUTCH Filed Oct. 16, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N g INVENTOR.

RolzzmMlVardozze ATTORNEY R. M. NARDONE'. 2,424,494

ENGINE STARTER CLUTCH July 22, 1947.

Filed Oct. 16, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 as F-gqg 71 7D 3mm Ronze M Nardonewas it, 22, 1 41* 2,424,494 v UNITED} STATES PATENT OFFICE I v 2,424,494J I ENGINE STARTER CLUTCH Romeo M. Nardone, Teaneck, N. 3., aasignor toBendix Aviation Corporation, Teterboro, N. J.,

a corporation of Delaware l Application October 16,1944, Serial No.558,855

(7 Claims. (01423-479),

My inventionrelates t'o starters and'more parwherein the jaw engagingmember may bereadtic'ularlyto engine starters of the type employing anaxially shittable. engine en'gaging' jaw mema starter of'the foregoingdescribedcharacter iiy' removed therefrom or assembled therein withoutthe usual attendant removal or replaceber. 2 4 ment of other parts, i

In many engine starters, the englneQenga'ging. 5 An important object ofmy invention is to projaw member is axially shifted into meshed relayvide astarter of the foregoing described charaction with'a similarmember-by means of an acter which is simple in construction,- durable intuator or threaded shaft. The jaw member is ,use,efllcient in operationandeconomical in manusually provided with a transverse wall orset:-jufacture. 1 ftion normally disposed and maintained in spaced With theabove and other objects in view, as relation with one end of theactuator by means will hereinafterappear, the invention consists in of acoil spring ,for yieldably resisting relative the combinatiom andarrangement or parts heremovement of the jaw member towards the'actuinafter set forth and illustrated in the accomator. In a.construction of thischaracter a rod panying drawings, from which theseveral teais provided for retaining the jaw member and 5 tures' of theinvention and the advantages atactuator in operative relationship inorder that tained thereby willbe readily understood by those I thedriving connection therebetween may not be skilled in theartL' renderedinefiective due to excessive relative lon- Figure 1 is a side elevationor a starter, partgitudinal movement thereof. The rod 'slidably ly insection, having my invention incorporated extends through the actuatorand an opening therein. 7 4 formed in they transverse wall or section ofthe 4 Figure 2 is a side elevation of the jaw member. jaw member andisprovided with a shoulder nor- Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on theline mally engaging the inner end of the actuator 3-3 of the Figure 2. vr

u with respect tdthejaw member. This rod has i a Figure 4 is a sectionalview taken on the line av nut threaded on itsouter end whichabuts the 54-4 of the'Figure 2 transverse'wallof the law member and coacts Figure 5is a longitudinalsectional view or an" with th shoulder to retain thejaw member and end'portion of a modification. 4 actutaor in operativerelati onship. Also; in a As illustrated-in Figures 1v to 4 ofthefdr'aweconstruction of the foregoing. described charac= ings, I provide anengine'startercomprising a, 'ter, one or more washers, which" areusually housing ll) -having'a pair of cylindrical casing' formed offlexible material, aresleeved'ontherod sections l I and I2 formed withsuitable mating and interposed between the end of the spring and flanges13 and which iiang'es are fdetachably-conthetransverse wall to preventseepage own from nected together and secure thev starter to the thecrankcase-oi the, engineinto the starter crankcase of an engine, aportion of the "latter 'through the opening accommodating the rod. beingindicated at I4. As is customary, the en- Occasionally, in-starters ofthis type, the retaingine is provided with a cra'nkshafhthe latter or 7lug nut becomes loose due to vibration crfaulty a part connectiontherewith being equipped with assembly and falls into the engine orbecomes a-jaW clutch..member I5 whereby the engine is wedged between thejaw members and damages cranked by the' starter as hereinafter madeapthe various parts and/or precludes proper mesh--- parent. Secured tothe section I2 is an electric ing of the jaw members. Furthermore, whenthe motor I 6 connected to ail'an e l1 formed on the nut is thus removedfrom the rod, the washers are adjacent end of the section II whereby them0- displaced from the rod by the actuator thereby tor is supported onthe housing. permitting oil to seepinto the starters. From Themoto'r'lfi may be of any suitable type and the foregoing, it will beapparent that the fore- 4.5 has its armature shaft connected. to a pairof going construction presents manydisadvantages planetary reductiongear trains 20 and 2| re-\ and difliculties and necessitates theemployment spectively, disposed in the section l2, the, casin of arelatively large number of parts to accomof the latter being providedwith an internal gear plish a relatively small numberof functions. trackconstituting a fixed'orbital gear 22ior the One of the objects of myinvention is to protrains 20 and 2|. The .gear train 20 is providvide astarter which is so constructed and ared with planet gears 23 disposedbetween and ranged as'to overcome and eliminate the forein mesh withtheorbital gear 22and asun gear going described disadvantagesanddifficulties 24 connected to the motor IS in a suitable mana'nd in amanner not only to require aminimum ner for drivingthe train 20. Thegears 23 are number of parts or components for accomplishrotatablymounted on a carrier 25 provided with ingthe results but at the sametime materially a hub on which is formed the sun gear 26 of reduce the.number of parts customarily emthe gear train 2|, the latter beingprovided with ployed for accomplishing various iun'ctions. planet. gears21, one only of which is illustrat Another object of my inventionis toprovide ed in the drawings. The, gears 21 are disposed between and meshwith the orbital and sun gears 3 22 and 26 and are rotatably mounted ona carrier 28 whicl. constitutes the radial end wall at one end of a drumor barrel 23 which is rotatably mounted, by mean of bearing liners 30,

within the sections II and I2. The wall or carrier 28 is centrallyapertured and receives therethrough an elongated hub 3| of a circulardrum support plate 32 which is fixed, as by screws 33, to the inside ofthe wall 28 for rotation with the drum. The hub 3| extends centrallythrough the trains and 2| and has rotatably mounted thereon the hubs ofthe gears 24 and 26.

The plate 32 is fashioned with a marginal rib or shoe 34 which engagesone end of a clutch pack 35 disposed within the "drum 29 and embodying aplurality of friction discs alternately splined to the inner face of thedrum and the outer face of an interiorly threaded nut or actuatingsleeve 36 of aclutch jaw actuating unit, the sleeve being formed with aflange 31 on which is mounted a ring 38 which engages the opposite endof the clutch pack. Resilient means, in the form of a plurality of coilsprings 33, are disposed circumferentially within the drum and arecompressed between a pair of spaced retainin'g members 40 and 4|,respectively, the member 46 being mounted on the flange 31. The member4| is secured to an adjusting nut 42 threaded int the opposite end ofthe drum 29 and which nut is operable for varying the pressure of thesprings, the latter serving to maintain the discs of the clutch pack 35in engagement to efi'ect simultaneous rotation of the drum 29 and nut36. Threadedly mounted within the sleeve 36 for rotary and longitudinalmovement therein is a screw shaft or actuator 43 which is provided withinteriorly disposed and longitudinally extending splines drivablyengaging the exteriorly andlongitudinally arranged splines formed on anend portion of the tubular shank 45 of a jaw member 46 fashioned with ahead 41 having teeth 48. Axial movement of the actuator 43 to the left,as viewed in Figure 1, rel- ,ative to the sleeve 36 is positivelylimited by means of a collar 49 integrally formed on the inner end ofthe actuator 43 and constituting an abutment or stop for engagement witha shoulder 50 formed interiorly and substantially centrally of thesleeve 36;

The head 41 of the jaw member 46 is formed with an inwardly directedribor collar 5| disposed about and in radially spaced relation to the shank45 adjacent the head and coacting with the shank to define a seatreceiving therein one end of a spring or yielding means 53 disposedabout the shank. The opposite end 01 the spring 53 engages a ring orwasher 54 axially slidably mounted on the shank 45 adjacent to theactuator 43. The washer 54, see also Figures 2 and 4, is formed withinternal teeth 55 to be slidable along the splines 44 and having innerdiameters on and between the teeth slightly in excess of the outsidediameter of the shank portion, on

. which it is mounted, and of the bottoms of the spaces between thesplines 44, thereby enabling the washer to be introduced onto the shankand over the splines. A split ring 56 is disposed about the shank 45between the washer 54 and the ends of the splines 44, and coacts withthe ends of the splines to constrain the spring on the shank when themember 46 is removed from the actuator and housing.

Adjacent to the head 41 of the member 46, an oil sealing means 58,Figure 1, is provided for preventing oil from the engine crankcase fromseeping into the housing III. The means 58 is retained within a recessedportion 59 formed in the end 60 of the section II by a retaining plate6| secured to the end 60 of the section.

In operation, assuming the parts to be in the positions illustrated inthe drawings, energization of the motor efl'ects operation of the geartrains 26 and 2| with resultant rotation of the drum and sleeve 36.Rotation of the sleeve 36 is translated into an axial shifting of theactuator 43 and which shifting causes the member 46 to move outwardly,through the medium of the spring 63 and washer 54,- and engage themember 5. When the members is and 46 are thus engaged, cranking of theengine is obtained by continued operation of the motor |6 which suppliessufllcient energy for overcoming the static inertia of the engine ofwhich the member I5 is a part. When the engine starts, the member |5will accelerate beyond the cranking speed of the member 46, and upondeenergization of the motor I6, the member 46 and the actuator 43 willbe reversely threaded or shifted back to the jaw-retracted position, bythe member |5 in a usual manner.

When the motor I6 is energized and the jaw member 46 is shifted towardsthe jaw member |5 for engagement therewith, should the teeth 43 of themember 46 only partially engage the teeth of the member |5 or abut theradial end faces of the latter teeth, the spring 45 will maintain theteeth 48 in engagement with the member |5 until relative rotation of themembers I5 and 46 permits the teeth to properly engage by the action ofthe spring 45,

In the form of the invention depicted in Figure 5, the shoe 34a of theplate 32a engages the adjacent end disc 35a of the clutch pack 35b andembraces a ring 16 which is provided with a flange H terminating withinthe circumferential confines of the end disc 35a. The flange llencompasses the adjacent end of the actuating sleeve 36a and is fixed tosaid sleeve by means of pins, one of which is shown at 12. The discs ofthe clutch pack 35b are alternately splined to the inner surface of thedrum 29a and the outer face of the sleeve 36a, the latter havingslidably mounted on its opposite end a compression ring or plate 13provided with a shoe l4 engaging the adjacent end disc 350 of the p k ad a ts w the shoe 34a for maintainin the discs of the pack in engagementto effect simultaneous rotation of the drum 29a and sleeve 36a. Pressureon the plate 13 is applied by springs 39a interposed between the plate13 and a member 4|a, the latter being identical with and functioning inthe same manner as the member 4|, as eifected by the nut 42 of Figur 'l.The rings 16 and 13 cooperate to maintain the concentricity of thesleeve 36a while the ring 13 performs the triple function of the flange31, ring 38 and member 40 of the form of the invention illustrated inFigures 1 to 4 of the drawings, thereby, effecting an economy inmanufacture.

Although only two embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed, various changes in the form and relative arrangements of theparts, which will now appear to those skilled in the art, may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. Reference is,therefore, to be had to the appended claims for a definition of thelimits of the inventlon.

What is claimed is:

1. In an engine-engaging jaw member assembly, a jaw member having a headand a shank extending from said head, said shank being provided withlengthwise splines adapted for interfittmg engagement with complementarysplines carried by a member for effecting rotary and axial move ment ofsaid jaw member, a spring sleeved about said shank and engaging saidhead, retaining means carried on said shank and interposed between saidspring and splines, said retaining means adapted to be engaged bysaid'last mentioned member for urging compression of said spring andthus effect axial movement of said Jaw member with respect to saidmember.

2. In an engine-engaging jaw member assembly, a rotatable axiallymovable member provided with lengthwise splines, a jaw member having ahead and a shank extending from said head, said.

posed between said spring and actuator, said retaining member adapted tobe engaged by said actuator for urging compression of said spring andthus effect .axial movement of said jaw member with respect to saidrotatable member, and a ring carried on said shank between saidretaining member and said teeth, said ring engaging said teeth andcoacting with said head for maintaining said spring and. said retainingmember on said shank.

6. In an engine engaging clutch jaw member assembly or the like, anaxially stationary rotatable nut, a screw shaft adapted for axialmovement relative to and rotation with said nut, a

spring and splines, said retaining means being engaged by said movablemember for urging compression of said spring and thus effect axialmovement of said jaw member with respect to said movable member.

3. In an engine-engaging jaw member assem-- bly, a rotatable axiallymovable member provided with lengthwise splines, a jaw member having ahead and a shank extending from said head, said shank being providedwith lengthwise splines interfitting said first mentioned splines foreffecting rotation and permitting axial movementof said jaw member, aspring on said shank and engaging said head, an annulus carriedon saidshank and interposed between said spring and said second mentionedsplines, a ring on said shank between said annulus and said-firstmentioned splines for retaining said spring on said shank, said annulusbeing engaged by said movable member for urging compression of saidspring and thus eifect axial movement of said jaw mem ber with respectto said movable member.

4. In a, starter construction, an engine-engaging jaw member having ahead and a shank extending from said head, a rotatable member, anactuator provided with lengthwise splines and being connected to saidrotatable member for rotary movement therewith and axial movementrelative thereto, said shank being provided with, lengthwise splinesinte'rfitting said first mentioned splines for effecting rotation ofsaid jaw member by said actuator, a spring sleeved about said shankrotatable member for axial movement relativethereto, said actuator beinginteriorly slotted and receiving said shank, said shank being providedwith teeth slidably fitting the slots of said actuator for effectingrotation and permitting axial movement of said jaw member, a springsleeved about said shank and engaging said head, a retaining membercarried on said shank and interclutch member having a clutch portion anda shank extending from said portion, means adapted for cooperationbetween said shank and said shaft and providing for effecting rotarymovement of the clutch member with and axial movement of the, clutchmember relative to said shaft,

spring means disposed about the axis of said shank, and backing meansfor said spring means including a member axiall movable relative to theshank in position between said spring means and said shaft, said backingmeans member being adapted for operation by said shaft to act throughthe intermediary of said spring means to effect said axial movement ofsaid clutch member, said backing means retaining said spring means andbeing retained in position relative to said shank when said clutchmember is disassembled from the shaft.

7. In an engine engaging clutch jaw member assembly or the like, anaxially stationary rotatable nut, a screw shaft adapted for axialmovement relative to and rotation with said nut, a

means member and said first means-for retaining shaft.

clutch member having a clutch portion and a shank extending from saidportion, means adapted for cooperation between said-shank and said shaftand providing for effecting rotary movement. of the clutch member withand axial move- 'ment of the clutch member relative to said shaft,

spring means disposed about the axis of said shank, and backing meansfor said spring'means including a member axially movable relative to theshank in position between said spring means and said shaft, said backingmeans member being adapted for operation by said shaft to act throughthe intermediary of said spring means to eifect said axial movement ofsaid clutch member, and means adapted for position between said backingsaid backing means member and said spring means in position relative, tothe shank when said clutch member is disassembled from the ROMEONARDONE.

REFERENCES CITED 1 f The following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

0 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 1 Date 2,279,126 Nardone Apr. 7,1942 1,777,172 Lansing Sept 30, 1930 1,442,092 Parsons et a1 Jan, 16,1923 1,427,025 Schlaiiy Aug. 22, 1922 1,996,733 Allen Apr. 2, 19352,235,430 Jencick Mar.- 18, 1941 2,205,041 Lansing June 18, 19402,381,018 Waseige Aug. 7, 1945

